Who is The Great Khali?

Indian-American retired professional wrestler Dalip Singh Rana – aka The Great Khali – was born in Dhiraina, Himachal Pradesh, India, on 27 August 1972, making Virgo his zodiac sign. He’s probably known best for the time which he spent signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), and for becoming the first WWE World Heavyweight Champion from India; The Great Khali became a legend in India after being crowned a WWE Champion, and was in 2021 inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

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Education and early life

The Great Khali was raised in a Rajput family in Sirmaur, by his mother Tandi Devi and father Jwala Ram; he has six siblings, and their parents struggled to provide for them all.

The Great Khali was born with acromegaly, which is a disorder that leads to overgrowth of certain body parts. He studied at a local high school, and was mostly into sports during his time there, playing cricket, soccer and wrestling.

The Great Khali matriculated in 1990 and then found work to financially support himself, rather than to pursue a college degree.

Wrestling career

The Great Khali became a security guard in Shimla upon completing his high school education, and was noticed by a police officer who had previously aided several officers to become international athletes; he offered him a job, and The Great Khali thus joined the Punjab Police in 1993. He took wrestling lessons in the following three years, prior to moving to the US and training at a special gym for wrestlers.

It was in 2000 that The Great Khali signed a contract with All Pro Wrestling, and chose ‘Giant Singh’ as his ring name; his first match was in October 2000, when he and Tony Jones teamed up against the West Side Playaz.

The following year saw The Great Khali move to San Francisco, California and sign with World Championship Wrestling (WCW), spending close to a year there before the wrestling promotion was purchased by World Wrestling Federation (WWF).

He signed a contract with New Japan Pro-Wrestling in 2021, and was teamed up with Giant Silva, with them becoming the tallest tag team in the history of the sport, as their average height was 7ft 1ins (2.15m) and their combined weight 800lbs (360kgs). They called themselves ‘Club 7’, and defeated four wrestlers at their first match in October 2001; The Great Khali’s first tag team defeat was when he lost to Hiroyoshi Tenzan at the Wrestling World 2002 in January, while he lost again two months later, this time to Manabu Nakanishi.

From 2002 through 2006, The Great Khali was signed to Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (Mexican promotion) and All Japan Pro Wrestling.

He became the first Indian wrestler to sign a contract with WWE on 2 January 2006, and was assigned to their promotion Deep South Wrestling, wrestling under his real name for a while. Dara Shawn Daivari was The Great Khali’s manager, and he made his debut on the 7 April episode of SmackDown!, when he attacked The Undertaker and thus became a villain. It was a week later that ‘The Great Khali’ was revealed as his ring name, and he wrestled his first in-ring opponent on 21 April, defeating Funaki.

He defeated World Heavyweight Champion Rey Mysterio on 12 May 2006, and then The Undertaker on 21 May; he lost his first match in August of the same year, to The Undertaker.

The Great Khali was then transferred to Extreme Championship Wrestling, defeating ‘The Reject’ Shannon Moore on 31 October 2006, and was signed to Raw on 8 January 2007.

He won his first Raw match against John Cena, as John was disqualified after hitting The Great Khali with a steel chair; he then lost to John on 20 May 2007, tapping out to his signature move STFU. He became the World Heavyweight Champion on 20 July 2007, after winning the 20-man Battle Royal.

Dominant.
Champion.
Trailblazer.
GREAT.

Celebrate The @greatkhali's birthday with these photos of the towering #WWE Hall of Famer! #HappyBirthdayKhali

📸: https://t.co/xmJqX008j0 pic.twitter.com/nndfCMPhQG

— WWE India (@WWEIndia) August 27, 2021

The Great Khali lost to Dolph Ziggler in May 2009, and then again on 28 June; he then took some time off to spend with his family, and returned to India; he eventually entered the 2011 Royal Rumble, but lost to Mason Ryan. The Great Khali was then defeated by Kane on 27 May, while he won against Mahal on 23 September.

His contract with WWE expired on 13 November 2014, and The Great Khali chose not to re-sign; he’s since returned for two guest appearances on WWE, on 23 July 2017 and 27 April 2018.

Since February 2015, The Great Khali’s been running his own wrestling promotion Continental Wrestling Entertainment (CWE) in Jalandhar, Punjab, India; its first event was held on 12 December 2015, while he became its World Heavyweight Champion in February 2016. CWE is today the largest wrestling promotion in India.

Love life and wife

The Great Khali’s today a married man, but many people aren’t familiar with his wife and her career achievements. He and Indian non-celebrity Harminder Kaur exchanged vows on 27 February 2002, two years after their families had set them up on a blind date; she was born on 12 January 1972, and graduated from Delhi University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1994, while she earned her Master’s degree from the University of Alcala (Spain) in 1996.

Harminder gave birth to their daughter Avleen Rana in February 2014.

Neither has spoken of other people whom they’ve perhaps dated, The Great Khali’s married to Harminder Kaur as of April 2023, and they have a daughter together.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CpFN3-1r-zB/

Interesting facts and hobbies

The Great Khali’s an Instagram star, as more than 5.2 million people are following him on the network today, while he’s posted close to 5,400 pictures and videos, with most being related to wrestling.

He exercises with weights for two hours, every morning and evening, every day; The Great Khali’s revealed that he loves to eat vegetarian food, but also eats chicken on a daily basis.

He underwent surgery on 26 July 2012, to remove a brain tumor.

The Great Khali became a US citizen on 20 February 2014.

Although it was initially believed that he chose his ring name after the Hindu goddess Kali, The Great Khali’s revealed that his ring name was chosen for him by WWE.

He’s deeply religious, as he meditates on a daily basis, doesn’t smoke tobacco nor drink alcohol.

The Great Khali’s favorite actor and wrestler is Hulk Hogan, while some of his favorite movies include “Mr. Nanny”, “Assault on Devil’s Island” and “Assault on Death Mountain”.

Height, eyes and wealth

The Great Khali’s age is 50. His hair and eyes are brown, he’s 7ft 1in (2.15m) tall and weighs around 350lbs (157kgs).

The Great Khali’s net worth’s been estimated at over $6 million, as of April 2023.

Who is Brad Stevens?

Famous American basketball executive and former coach Bradley Kent Stevens, was born in Zionsville, Indiana USA on 22 October 1976, making Libra his zodiac sign. He’s probably known best for the time which he spent coaching the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA), leading them to playoffs every year from 2014 through 2021, while they competed in the Eastern Conference Finals thrice from 2017 through 2020; Brad’s widely considered as one of the best basketball coaches of all time, and has since 2021 been working as the Celtics’ president of basketball operations.

Education and early life

Brad was raised in Zionsville by his mother Jan who’s a university professor and once taught at Butler, and father Mark who’s an orthopedic surgeon, and who played football at Indiana University, Bloomington. Brad’s believed to be an only child, having not spoken of any siblings.

He fell in love with playing basketball at the age of five, and often watched the Indiana Hoosiers games together with his father. He was eight when his parents gifted him a basketball hoop, and Brad then spent most of his spare time playing basketball together with his friends. He studied at Zionsville Community High School and was the best basketball player there, joining its varsity team during his freshman year. By the time he matriculated in 1995, Brad held records for three-point field goals, steals, assists and career scoring, amongst others, while he still today holds five records.

He then enrolled at DePauw University on a basketball scholarship, and played in 101 basketball games with their team; Brad graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in economics in 1999.

Career as a coach

Brad began working at the American pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Company upon graduation, but in the summer of 2000 was convinced by his wife to quit his job and volunteer with the Butler Bulldogs basketball team; he was then offered work as the Bulldogs’ co-ordinator of basketball operations, and was promoted to full-time assistant coach in 2001, after the Bulldogs welcomed their new head coach Todd Lickliter. He then became active in every aspect of the Bulldogs’ play, including in-game coaching, skills instruction and recruiting.

Todd resigned on 2 April 2007, and Brad became the Bulldogs’ new head coach a day later; he was the Division I Basketball’s second youngest coach, but led his team to win their first eight games, prior to losing 43-42 to Wright State. The Bulldogs went on to win 12 of their 13 games, while Brad was praised by both other head coaches and critics. He ended the 2007-2008 season with 27 wins and three losses, while they also won the Horizon League, but lost in the 2008 NCAA Tournament; Brad then signed a seven-year contract with the Bulldogs.

Coach Brad Stevens x Kyrie Irving. #CelticsAllAccess pic.twitter.com/PMbTKfonZd

— NBA (@NBA) September 30, 2017

He won 12 of his first 13 games in the 2008-2009 season, again winning the Horizon League; they reached the NCAA Tournament in 2010, and then the Final Four where they defeated the Michigan State in the national semi-finals, but then lost to the Duke Blue Devils. They won the 2011 Horizon League Tournament, reaching the NCAA Tournament Finals once again, but losing to the Connecticut Huskies.

Brad signed a new contract with the Bulldogs on 8 April 2010, which was to keep him with the team until the year 2022; he was offered a contract by the Illinois Fighting Illini in 2012, and the University of California, Los Angeles’ Bruins in the following year, but Brad rejected both.

NBA

Brad became the new head coach of the Boston Celtics on 3 July 2013, and led them to the playoffs in 2015, and again to the playoffs in the following year.

His contract was extended on 1 June 2016, and he and the Celtics reached the playoffs again in 2017, playing in the Eastern Conference Finals but losing to Cleveland Cavaliers. In the 2017-2018 season, the Celtics won 55 of their 82 games, reaching the playoffs but losing in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Cavaliers.

Quitting coaching

Brad coached the Celtics until 2 June 2021, when he replaced Danny Ainge as their president of basketball operations; he hired Ime Udoka as the Celtics’ head coach on 23 June 2021, and they went on reach the 2022 NBA Finals, losing to the Golden State Warriors.

On 16 February 2023, Brad replaced Ime with Joe Mazzulla.

Love life and wife

Brad prefers not to speak about his love life in public, but has allowed his fans to have a glimpse into it. He and Tracy (nee Wilhelmy) met while they were both attending DePauw University; she was also an athlete, playing soccer for the university, and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in 1999. Tracy graduated with a Master’s degree in law in 2002, and she and Brad married in August 2003; she’s today working as an employment and labor attorney, and is also Brad’s agent.

Tracy’s mother died from cancer in June 2004, and she and Brad then became involved with the charity organization Coaches Vs. Cancer.

Tracy gave birth to their son Brady Stevens in 2007, and to their daughter Kinsley Stevens in 2010.

Brad hasn’t mentioned the girls whom he had perhaps dated before he met Tracy, he’s married to Tracy Stevens as of April 2023, and they have two children together.

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Interesting facts and hobbies

Brad’s active on Instagram, and has posted 43 pictures onto the social media network, however, he’s only followed by 165 people.

He’s been to every US state, mostly thanks to his career as a basketball coach, while he’s also vacationed in several European countries together with his wife Tracy; Brad’s favorite city to travel to is Miami, Florida.

He’s a lover of animals, and his favorite are turtles and dogs.

Brad’s a fan of rock ‘n’ roll bands AC/DC and Aerosmith.

His favorite actress is Scarlett Johansson, and some of his favorite movies include “Ghost in the Shell”, “Don Jon” and “Lost in Translation”.

Height, eyes and wealth

Brad’s age is 46. His hair and eyes are brown, he’s 6ft 1in (1.85m) tall and weighs around 180lbs (82kgs).

Brad’s net worth’s been estimated at over $6 million, as of April 2023.

Who is Bob Knight?

American former basketball coach Robert Montgomery ‘Bob’ Knight was born in Orrville, Ohio USA, on 25 October 1940, meaning that Scorpio’s his zodiac sign. Known as ‘The General’, Bob set the record when he retired with 902 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I basketball game wins, while he today holds fifth place; he’s perhaps best known for coaching the Indiana Hoosiers of the NCAA Division I from 1971 through 2000, and also for coaching at Texas Tech from 2001 through 2008.

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Education and early life

Bob was raised in Orrville by his mother and father, about whom he’s shared not so many details because Bob respects their privacy; it’s believed that his father was a basketball coach at a local high school, and his mother a housewife. Because Bob’s yet to speak of having siblings, he’s widely believed to be an only child.

He became interested in playing basketball while attending Orrville High School, and was amongst the best players there; Bob was into several other activities as a teenager, including playing football, and acting with the school’s drama club.

He matriculated in 1958, and then enrolled at Ohio State University, where he played under coach Fred Taylor, who was later inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame; he played for the Ohio Buckeyes as a reserve forward, winning the 1960 NCAA Championship, while they lost to the Cincinnati Bearcats both times in the following two NCAA Championships.

He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in government and history in 1962.

Bob’s career

Upon graduation, Bob began working at Cuyahoga Falls High School as a junior varsity basketball coach, but in the following year joined the US Army, and was on active duty for two years starting in June 1963, and then in the Army Reserve for four years.

Not long after joining the army, in the second half of 1963, Bob became the head coach of the Army Black Knights; he won 102 games with them, and became known for his ‘explosive temper’.

He joined Indiana University as head coach of their basketball team the Hoosiers in 1971, and won 662 games during the 22 seasons that he spent with them. In the 1972-1973 season, Bob led the Hoosiers to win the Big Ten Championship, and they lost to the University of California, Los Angeles’ Bruins in the Final Four; they won the Big Ten Championship again in the following season, while the seasons 1974-1975 and 1975-1976 saw them win all of their games, making them Big Ten champions two more times. What marked the end of the ‘70s for the Hoosiers was winning the 1979 National Invitation Tournament (NIT).

Time for me to pick my next sports biography. Which one would you pick? pic.twitter.com/1TmKBdad2c

— Maliika Walker (@maliikawalker) March 28, 2023

Bob and the Hoosiers won the 1981 NCAA tournament, and the 1986 book “A Season on the Brink” by John Feinstein covered Bob and his basketball team. They went on to win the NCAA tournament again in 1987, and a Big Ten Championship in the 1988-1989 season.

The Hoosiers continued to play well in the beginning of the ‘90s, winning the Big Ten Championship in both the 1990-1991 and 1992-1993 seasons, and they competed in the NCAA championship nearly every year for the remainder of the decade.

The sports show “CNN Sports Illustrated” aired an episode on 14 March 2000, in which they covered American film director and producer Robert Abbott’s investigation of Bob choking his former player Burgess Neil Reed in 1997; although Bob denied this, a tape of the practice game was shown, and Bob could indeed have been seen choking Burgess in it. Because of this and similar other incidents related to Bob’s behavior, he was fired from his coaching position on 10 September 2000; the students protested, and thousands of them marched in the streets. Various magazines covered Bob’s firing, including “Sports Illustrated”.

He took the year 2001 off, and in 2002 became the head coach at Texas Tech, leading their Red Raiders to three NCAA Championship appearances and one NIT in his first four years there, even though the Red Raiders hadn’t reached an NCAA Championship since 1996. Bob’s best performance with the Red Raiders was reaching the Sweet Sixteen in 2005.

He revealed that he was retiring on 4 February 2008, and his son Pat Knight became the new head coach of the Red Raiders.

Life after basketball

Bob became a studio analyst for ESPN in 2008, and stayed with them until 2 April 2015, when his contract expired and wasn’t renewed.

It was revealed on 27 February 2019 that Bob had health issues, and while giving a speech on 4 April 2019, Bob showed significant problems with his memory; he’s since been leading a peaceful life with his wife at their home in Bloomington, Minnesota.

Love life and relationships

Bob and his first wife, non-celebrity American Nancy Falk exchanged vows on 17 April 1963, and she gave birth to their two sons Tim and Pat in the following a couple of years; Patrick Clair ‘Pat’ Knight’s today a successful basketball coach and scout.

Bob and his second wife Karen Vieth Edgar married in 1988; she’s a former high school basketball coach, and the two have been together to this day.

Bob hasn’t mentioned other women whom he’s maybe been with, he’s married to his second wife Karen Vieth Edgar as of April 2023, and has two sons with his first wife Nancy Falk.

Interesting facts and hobbies

Bob supported Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election, and referred to him as a ‘great defender of the USA’.

Various books besides “A Season on the Brink” have been published about Bob, including Juan Mellen’s “Bob Knight: His Own Man”, Robert P. Sulek’s “Hoosier Honor: Bob Knight and Academic Success at Indiana University” and Steve Alford’s “Playing for Knight: My Six Seasons with Bobby Knight”.

Bob’s made a guest appearance in many movies and TV series, including the 1994 sports movie “Blue Chips”, the 2002 sports film “A Season on the Brink” and the 2003 romantic comedy movie “Anger Management”.

He’s a philanthropist and has donated quite a lot of money to Indiana University, while he’s also raised close to $5 million for their library system.

Height, eyes and wealth

Bob’s age is 82. He has brown eyes and grey hair, is 6ft 4ins (1.96m) tall and weighs around 200lbs (92kgs).

Bob’s net worth’s been estimated at over $15 million, as of April 2023.